Category Archives: Wine & Food

There’s a new way to spell success, GCWM, which stands for the Great Canadian Wine Match.  The first every Great Canadian Wine Match recently wrapped up and Canadian wine drinkers from coast to coast had fun nominating and voting for their favorite Canadian wines.   I was honored to be asked to participate in the nominating process, and thrilled when I found out my choice wine for chicken won!

http://www.nataliemaclean.com/canadian-wines/best-wine-chicken-pairing/2013/award/#winner

I was ecstatic to learn a Nova Scotia wine won 1st place in beef.

I moved to Nova Scotia in October of 2012, and I was here exactly one week when my sister and I jumped in my Jeep and visited Luckett Vineyards in the Annapolis Valley.  (Here in Nova Scotia, it’s referred to as ‘the valley’)  Pete Luckett is a local businessman and media personality known for Pete’s Frootique and Luckett Vineyards.   This wine was nominated by Deborah Hemming out of Montreal, and she says ” I first tried this wine while enjoying the amazing view of the Annapolis Valley from the Luckett Vineyard’s patio on a gorgeous summer day. Every time I drink it, I’m transported back to that place and time.”   2nd Place in the beef category also came out of the Maritimes, Black Prince Winery Cabernet Franc and 3rd place went to Smoke & Gamble Cabernet Merlot out of Port Dover Ontario.

Best wine in Pizza was nominated by Joe Hache from Picton Ontario, now living in Prince Edward Island.   This is why Joe nominated this particular wine “The nose showcases sour red cherry with hints of raspberry, cherry, rhubarb and cranberry. The palate is full of ripe red berry fruit with a hint of spice and a perfect balance of acidity and tannins. Norm makes incredible pizza in a wood-fired oven on site, using vegetables grown alongside his grape vines!”   

Joe has a wonderful website called ‘For The Love of Wines – The Wines of Prince Edward County’.  He’s lucky enough to have about 35 wineries within a 30 minute drive from his home.  You can check out his website here.

http://www.princeedwardcountywineries.com/

Second place for pizza went to Smoke and Gamble Cabernet Merlot and Laughing Stock Vineyards out BC won 3rd.   You can check out all the winners in the pizza category here.

http://www.nataliemaclean.com/canadian-wines/best-wine-pizza-pairing/2013/award/#winner

The winner in the cheese category was  Quails’ Gate Estate Winery Optima Totally Botrytis Affected from the Okanagan region of British Columbia.  Nominated by Matt Steeves in Ottawa, he says “A Sauternes wine with blue cheese is a match made in heaven!”   Another Joe Hache nominated PEI wine won 2nd place, Harwood Estates Winery Marquesa and 3rd place went to Thirty Bench Wine Makers Riesling from the Niagra region in Ontario, nominated by Dan Tricka from Toronto.  You can check out what the nominees had to say about their wines here.

http://www.nataliemaclean.com/canadian-wines/best-wine-cheese-pairing/2013/award/#winner

It probably won’t come as a surprise that a Maritimer nominated a Maritime wine in the Seafood category and won.  Adam Bower from Halifax nominated and won with Domaine de Grand Pre Vintner’s Reserve L’acadie Blanc 2010 out of the Annapolis Valley.     Here’s what Adam had to say as to why he nominated this wine.  “Nova Scotia’s premiere grape goes perfectly with what we are best known for here: seafood!”  2nd Place went to a wine out of Prince Edward Island, Keint-He Chardonnay and 3rd Place to a BC Wine Recline Ridge-Shuswap Serenade.  Check out this link with the winners of the seafood category.

We are in for a scorching hot weekend, so like many of you, I’ll be cooking outside this weekend.  Last weekend we covered some of my favorite wines with steak and chicken.

Now, let’s talk pork……….

I love grilled pork, and pork chops are a family favorite.  I love a good smoky Merlot with my pork chops, and here are 2 of my favorites.

The Washington State makes a magnificent Merlot and this one will not disappoint.  Smoky cherries and plums with hints of cedar and tobacco.  (thus the smoky)  And the Thorn Clarke Merlot is a deep purple color in the glass, medium bodied and jammy with a beautiful lingering finish.

BBQ ribs.  One of my favorite grilled foods.  My dad says I make the absolutely best ribs.  I know he’s biased, but they are pretty good.     Mix brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, fresh ground pepper, lime juice, couple of cloves of garlic, basil, paprika and chili powder.  And then at least a half bottle of BBQ sauce, marinate for 8 hours or over night.  Slow cook in the oven for 2 hours on a low temperature, or for 4 hours in the slow cooker.  And then take them out to the BBQ and grill them to perfection.  That’s my secret recipe for ribs.  Lots of great wines to go with them.

You can’t go wrong with this gorgeous full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from the Wolf Blass family  with big flavors of dark cherries and licorice.

 The Marquis de Riscal is a Rioja from Spain that is earthy and aromatic and would go hand in hand with ribs.  Lots of great flavor in this wine.

And a Malbec out of Argentina will be the perfect date with BBQ ribs.   This is the Bodega Septima Gran Reserve Malbec, a rich and fruity wine out that has lots of Italian influence.

  I’m allergic to most seafood and all shell-fish so I am relying on some friends advice.  But grilled seafood would do great with a Chardonnay.   Here’s a new one I discovered lately (I had it with chicken)

Everything a Chardonnay should be, this California beauty will have you going back for more.  Medium bodied, smooth, easy to drink and food friendly.  I am told by white wine drinkers also like a Pinot Grigio with their seafood.  This is a Pinot I tried recently and was very impressed.

  It’s the Pinot Grigio by Yellow Tail.  Fantastic, light, crisp wine.  Flavors of pear and green apple, it has enough acidity to keep the wine fresh and lively.

That’s it for this week.  Hey, BBQ season is just starting so we will do more wine matching with grilled foods as I experiment with my BBQ.

Have a great week, and Cheers.

Darlene

It’s BBQ Season!  I love BBQ Season.  I am the Grilling Queen of the East Coast.  And I love enjoying a glass of wine while I’m barbecuing and while I’m eating the grilled delights.  Let’s have a bit of fun and talk about pairing up our favorite grilled food with some of our favorite wines.

Steak:

Doesn’t that make your mouth water?  A big juicy steak, in my opinion, requires a big juicy wine.  Most times a steak is served up with a big bold red, and I like a Shiraz or a Cabernet Sauvignon.  Here are two of my favorites.

I don’t have steak all that often, so when I do I tend to treat myself to a special wine.  You will never go wrong serving Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz or Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon (a Canadian favorite) with a grilled steak.   Both wines are big and bold in the glass with juicy fruits, oak aging and vanilla and spice.  A potent combination for any steak.  If you just drink white wines, give this one a try.

It’s the J.Lohr Chardonnay out of California, and it is everything a big Chardonnay should be.   Flavors of ripe apple, nectarine and some citrus with that buttery smooth oak aging – this one is a winner with chicken, pork and yes, even beef.

I would say chicken is my #1 grilled food.  I absolutely love chicken done on the BBQ.   Whether it’s wings, thighs or breasts, chicken makes for great grilled food.  And the wine.  I am loving Chardonnay at the moment with grilled chicken, like this one….

The J. Lohr Chardonnay mentioned above will also go divine with chicken.  Schuck’s Chardonnay is another great one out of California.  The unique packaging will hold up in an ice bucket, but it’s whats in the bottle that is most important.   Fun and crisp with buttery smoothness, love this with chicken.   With chicken, there’s a 50% I’ll be drinking red.  And my two favorite chicken pairings are Old Vine Zinfandels and Pinot Noir.

A few of my favorite Old Vine Zinfandels.    7 deadly Zins, is just what the name suggests, 7 different Zinfandel grapes from 7 different vineyards to make for one sinfully delicious food friendly wine.  Pepperwood Grove is being de-listed in Nova Scotia, so stock up.  They infuse pepper into the wine, light oak, big on fruity flavor.     And Twisted is another great priced wine in the old vine Zinfandel family.  Big ripe fruits, oak and pepper, also make it great with BBQ ribs.

Three of my favorite Pinot Noir wines.  The first one is Canadian, and our cool climate here in Canada make for a great Pinot Noir.  It’s raspberries and cherry fruits with a hint of oak make it so food friendly.   It’s under $20 in Newfoundland, can’t get this one in Nova Scotia.  But if you can find it in your local liquor store, pick it up.  The Smoking Loon is another Pinot under $20.  There was a time when you didn’t trust a Pinot Noir under $20, but those days are gone.  Soft subtle fruit with a hint of spice.  When in doubt about which red to serve with a meal, if you go with Pinot Noir you will hit it out of the ballpark 85% of the time.  That’s how food friendly it is.  And the last one is probably my favorite.  If you think Canada is making some good Pinot Noir, then New Zealand carries the crown.  They are known for 2 wines in particular, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.  The Whitehaven is smooth and tasty with dark cherries and charred oak.

Next week, we are going to do pork, vegetables and I’ll mention seafood, even though I’m allergic to seafood and can’t eat it, I will pass along some recommendations.

Till next week, Cheers and fire up that grill!

Darlene

I think it officially becomes Spring once Easter rolls around.  Tomorrow you are probably planning a big meal with family to celebrate Easter, and hopefully I can lend a hand with the wine.   No matter what you plan on serving tomorrow, hopefully I can help.

If you are going the traditional turkey route, here’s one of my favorites.  From the Napa Valley it’s Stags Leap Viognier.   This is a new grape I have discovered since moving to Nova Scotia, and I love the crisp vitality of the wine.  Flavors of white peach and a lovely acidity make for a well balanced white wine.  This wine is also fantastic with spicy Asian cuisine.

For those of you who gave up meat for Lent, you may be celebrating tomorrow with a big juicy steak, or a delicious pot roast.   Have I got the wine for you.

The 2010 Yalumba Pachwork Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia.   This is the type of wine that gave Australia the crown when it comes to a Shiraz.  Said to be one of Australia’s oldest vineyards, the Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz is a dark red color with earthy tones on the nose.  Deep rich fruit combine with flavors of cedar to make a great match with beef.

Another one of my favorites is from McGuigan Wines in Australia and winemaker Neil McGuigan.

The McGuigan Shortlist Shiraz is a beauty, with powerful flavors of red berry fruit and black currants.   The only problem with this wine is that they make very little of it each year, thus the shortlist.  It is fantastic wine, selling out fast all over Nova Scotia.  Each bottle has an individual number on it, and if you get the opportunity try this wine.

If you are doing pork, maybe a nice pork tenderloin, you can’t go wrong with a nice smoky Merlot.   You can’t go wrong with this one

You are going to love the Thorn Clarke Terra Barossa Merlot –  with its big bold color in the glass and flavors of plum, licorice and chocolate.   It’s a great wine with pork.  And it seems I’ve been having out in the ‘Wines from Australia’ section a lot lately, so here’s another great wine with pork.

The Velvet Devil Merlot is out of Washington State in the United States, and is a favorite Merlot of mine.   Dark cherries, tobacco, cedar and oak combine t make a powerful Merlot.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend.  Enjoy family and friends with good food and good wine.  I would like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for reading each week.  And for Rick, Sue and the gang for allowing me to try new wines each week.

Cheers

Darlene